Whether you are travelling on business or for pleasure, you'll have piece of mind with a good travel insurance policy in place before you leave. The majority of trips pass off without incident and many people have never had a problem whilst away on holiday in foreign countries. But when things do go wrong, the value of proper insurance cover comes into it's own. Not just to cover costs, which can climb very quickly, but also to help you with advice and information to help you manage the situation you find yourself in.

Our first piece of advice is to think very carefully before signing up for the travel insurance package offered by your travel agent or package holiday company. Of course it's much easier to say "yes" to their offer and much less hassle than going off to arrange your own cover, but in most cases you will pay dearly for that convenience. With many travel insurance policies now sold via the internet, the extra hassle of arranging your own cover is minimal.

We've heard many stories of travel agents and holiday companies putting pressure on people, by claiming that they only accept approved policies instead of their own, or that you may not be able to travel if your own insurance policy is not up to scratch. These are just pressure tactics and would be debatable in the eyes of the FSA. Arrange your own cover through a reputable online insurer and you will be fine.

Also remember that if you make more than a couple of trips abroad every year, then an annual policy is likely to work out cheaper for you. And of course you only have to make insurance arrangements once.